When I was a kid, my dad would give me the stink eye (or worse) for laughing at the wrong moment. I don’t know if you’d call it nervous energy or immaturity — been accused of both — it’s just how I’m wired.

All this applies to the story I’m about to share with you, and to the love/hate relationship the public has with Paula Deen.

When “Eat It and Like It,” my TV show, premiered one year ago, we thought it would be nice to have Paula Deen on with me. She is the queen of Savannah foodies, after all.

Seven months later, thanks to Paula’s graciousness, the “Eat It and Like It” production crew and I were sitting outside on a patio at the Deen home on Wilmington Island waiting for Paula to finish getting ready.

Then she walks out onto the patio where our interview is ready to go and greets everyone, miniature Diet Pepsi in hand — with a straw, of course, to preserve the lipstick.

We were all excited and a little nervous. It helps that Paula is the same with anyone she meets.

“There are no strangers, just friends I haven’t met yet,” she says, and that is obvious in everything she does.

Soon enough the cameras roll.

“Paula, I’ve been going to Lady and Sons since 1999,” I say, “and do you know what I find to be one of the funniest things in the world? Every time I’ve gone, I’m going straight for the fried chicken and mac and cheese, but there has always been a salad bar on the side just as large as your regular buffet. And I find it fascinating that no one likes to talk about that.”

“No,” she says, “just like they don’t ever mention that there is usually baked chicken right there along with the fried.”

Let’s be fair here: Paula didn’t make a name for herself on baked chicken, nor did the New York Times once upon a time rave about “America’s Best Lunch” because of her salad bar. It’s Southern fare and Sunday dinner that made Paula Deen a household name.

“We realize that when people travel to Savannah to eat at Lady and Sons, it’s to experience a typical Sunday meal,” she tells me. “And many times, it’s a one-time shot, so they are going to go all out.”

I love the food at The Lady and Sons. More times than not, I wait and go with friends and family who are visiting and want to go. Or I will take my mom on her birthday or Mother’s Day because she loves it as well.

It’s not an everyday thing, nor is it a once-a-week thing. It’s all about special occasions.

Apparently, that’s the philosophy Paula shares with her family — only they don’t have to drive to downtown Savannah.

“Usually, when I call my boys in for a Sunday meal, maybe once a month, we go all out,” Paula says. “But really that’s it. I maybe eat fried chicken once a month — if that.

“People think I carry around a stick of butter in my purse and I’m lickin’ on it all day long!” she jokes.

“You mean, you don’t?”

“No — I don’t,” she says. “It’s just the perception people have because of what we do.

“I feel like I’m constantly defending Southern food.”

Unless you’ve been out of the news loop recently, you’ve read or heard about Paula’s announcement that she has diabetes. It kind of forced her hand into a healthier lifestyle and led to her losing (according to People magazine) 30 pounds.

Certainly, tabloid news such as a diabetes diagnosis and the image Paula traditionally portrayed don’t go hand in hand, but she embraces it. Even the spontaneous comedy of putting a burger patty between two Krispy Kreme donuts was tossed under a microscope and analyzed from Hades to Breakfast.

Paula doesn’t eat that way. And she doesn’t suggest you eat that way all the time — or even often.

She’ll encourage you to enjoy the spice of life but will always remind you to do so responsibly.

“I can’t be there to pop your hand every time you reach for the fried chicken,” she says.

We talked about Paula’s visit from Oprah Winfrey and the talk they had before she announced her illness.

Oprah had some advice for Paula that she took to heart. It was a big deal at the time — and some still try to make it out to be — but Paula pushes forward, carrying the flag for Southern Sunday meals, for the city of Savannah and for her millions of fans around the world.

No one likes to be criticized, but Paula has developed a thick skin and is motivated by the people and fans she inspires with her journey from door-to-door lunch lady to international food icon.

Our visit wrapped up with a quick cooking session in Paula’s kitchen. We made a watermelon salad with red onions, feta cheese and red wine vinegar. No fried chicken in sight.

I’ve been asked many times what she is like. I’ve had people tell me they think her accent and “aw shucks” Southern charm is an act. And this is where my penchant for finding the humor in everything kicks in.

Do I know what Paula is like behind closed doors as a businesswoman?

No. It’s none of our business, frankly.

I just know that lady who isn’t afraid to throw on a baseball cap without a lick of makeup on and head out to the grocery store, or sit for hours at a book signing meeting fans.

I admire that, and I will continue to chuckle when the naysayers take shots at Paula Deen. Just don’t tell my dad.

Jesse Blanco is a local news anchor at WTGS and host of the Emmy-nominated “Eat It and Like It,” Savannah’s only TV show dedicated to its culinary scene. Visit him at www.eatitandlikeit.com or email jesse@eatitandlikeit.com.